The Dragon's Flame Queen ✔

✔LVII - The Rumoured Prince

"Wh-why?" Seraphina took a few steps back instinctively and she looked at him warily as her eyes moved between Alonzo to two of the guards and Demian to the other two of the guards. It didn't take long for strange feelings to settle inside of her belly, "Where are you going?"

"I have work."

"I'll come with you." She said stubbornly as Demian's eyes narrowed and she knew the guards were here to restrict her in this room. But she wasn't going to stay here while Demian would go alone. What if something happens? No matter what, after witnessing his dark side, her mind had been continuously reminding her of the emotion less Demian that she had been seeing in her dreams. What if he becomes someone else? Even so, she wanted to stay with him.

"I'll stay with you." Seraphina said again but his cold eyes confirmed this time, her pleas wouldn't be taken into consideration. A few muscles clenched on Demian's jaw as his face hardened.

His eyes moved to his men as they stepped between Demian and her after getting the hint on what their master had ordered.

"I will fight!" Seraphina's knuckles turned white and she desperately felt the need for her sword. But she had the sword in their room as she couldn't take it with her to the banquet.

"Don't make me force you to be confined in the room, Seraphina. It's not safe now." Demian's cold, hard voice made her shiver in her place and she looked at the Dragon troops. They were the same as before, emotionless and cold gaze which imitated Demian's gazes. They would do anything that he would order. They were his men. One could instantly faint if they were surrounded by the guards as they were sending a powerful aura that promised they were indeed very strong but not Seraphina.

The way the air seemed darkening around him made her feel a little scared of her dear husband and she knew no matter how much she struggled, he would tie her if needed. She nodded and as a good girl, she entered the room.

The door behind her closed and she heard the metal clanks. The soldiers were still there. Anger erupted from the back of her throat as she kicked the bed and immediately clutched her hands on her foot while cursing under her breath. She wanted to scream at him yet she held no power now. Her heart thundered as she recalled Demian's changes in his demeanor. Was he changing to someone different?

For a while, she sat there contemplating the situation and huffed a frustrated sigh. She just wanted to be with him even if he would become someone else entirely. She didn't care.

But this wasn't the time to be frustrated and she took three long breaths. As she felt her nerves had calmed down she moved her eyes toward her luggage as a grin slowly crawled up on her face.

So what if he had confined her in a room? It was just a room, after all.

*****

Demian increased his pace after leaving three of the guards behind to keep a watch on Seraphina. He knew if she became determined to something, she would go for it even if she ended up getting killed in the process. It was suspicious as to how she didn't struggle much. He was certain she would at least shout at him or fight with him to do what she wanted.

He didn't want to involve Seraphina more than this as for his next move, it might get dire more than before. She had entangled herself enough and if something were to happen to her again, he would never forgive himself.

"Pardon, Your Highness," Alonzo said as he matched his master's pace, "Why don't you take a rest and tomorrow shall we start our interrogation?"

"Why? Are you feeling tired already?"

Alonzo's moustache flipped in the air as he said immediately, "No! No, no! Your Highness, I feel as fresh as a leaf! It is your health that I'm concerned about."

"Well, you don't have to worry about that as I am not tired." He said and mumbled as it didn't reach the steward, "I just don't have enough time."

"Pardon?" He asked.

"Nothing, Alonzo. Let's get going." He ordered.

"Yes, Your Highness."

As they marched down to the dungeon, he saw the soldiers were tied with iron chains in the stone made cells. It was gloomy and dark. As he crossed them, they stood up along with their chains. But it wasn't them, he wanted to meet. At this time, they were useless to him.

"Where is he?" He asked.

A Dragon guard appeared in front of him and bowed. "In this cell, Your Highness."

"Perfect!" Damian said as he strode toward the wooden door of the cell. The torches led him to a different, narrow lane as he noticed, the dungeons were at least made prominently to pour terror into one's mind. It was dark, dirty and the smell of urine, blood and sweat didn't do any justice. Stones were placed to separate each cell and iron embedded the doors which left nothing for the convicts to escape.

He reached at the door and from the hole on the door, he saw Irwin was there with shock and fear written on his face. The guard brought out a jingle of keys and put a key in the large lock. It clicked and within a second, the door was snapped open.

Irwin's head snapped at them as his small eyes went wide with horror as he saw a pair of dark, glinting eyes of a devil who was none other than Demian. He broke out in tears and kneeled down immediately, his iron chains clinging against the cold surface as he begged, "I don't know anything, Your Highness." His hands clasped together in a form of begging as he whimpered, "Please have mercy on me. I don't know anything!"

Tears fell from his eyes and Demian could taste how spurious they were.

"Mercy?" He laughed, and it echoed throughout the other cells of the dungeon and the captured soldiers including Irwin shivered at it. As if a roar of the jungle, it bloomed through their heart and fear embedded them.

"There is no mercy for the people who have tormented their people for the sake of wealth." He hissed as Irwin flinched and crawled back as a dirty rat of the dungeon. Demian felt disgusted at the sight of Irwin. He could have made his goons do all the dirty work but where was all the fun in that? Besides, they needed to know there was no escape from the merciless Prince of the Dragon Nation.

He didn't want Seraphina to see how her husband was at the moment and that was why he didn't take Seraphina with him for it was no place for a woman. It was the place for the cries that would never leave from these stone walls as these cells were haunted by it and now they would witness the rumoured Prince was not living only in the rumours but he was the prince even the rumours had never told anyone about it.